1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to safety systems for use in facilitating the backup of large vehicles and, in particular, to wireless transmission systems which may be utilized by a spotter external to the vehicle in order to signal go and stop signals to an operator of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large vehicles of all shapes and sizes, such as fire engines, recreational vehicles, and construction vehicles, routinely deliver goods and services in large numbers each day. In the course of such activities, it is often necessary to backup such vehicles. For example, in the case of delivery trucks and fire engines, such vehicles backup numerous times in the course of a normal day to deliver cargo and maneuver into strategically desirable locations.
Backing up such large vehicles is more difficult and dangerous than standard passenger vehicles and trucks, however. Unlike passenger vehicles, many large commercial and service vehicles possess trailers or high storage boxes that obstruct the rearward view of the vehicle driver through a back window of the vehicle. As a result, drivers of large vehicles such as these must rely on side mounted mirrors to provide rearward visibility, rather than the mounted rear view mirror utilized in passenger vehicles. These side mounted mirrors are inherently limited in the view they provide, owing to rearward obstructions such as trailers, creating “blind spots.”
In order to alleviate some of the difficulty and danger of backing up such vehicles to a desired position, a spotter may be positioned outside the vehicle. The spotter is generally positioned at the rear of the vehicle so as to monitor changing conditions within the incipient backup path of the vehicle. Should the vehicle need to stop, due to an obstruction or other hazard in the path of the vehicle, the spotter communicates a signal to the driver to stop.
The signal to stop has been traditionally accomplished by a number of mechanisms. In one example, the spotter makes hand signals at a location which can be visualized by the driver in one of the side mount mirrors. In other examples, the spotter may perform any combination of shouting a stop signal, whistling, and waving red flags and/or blinking flashlights.
These methods are effective only to the extent that the driver can see the spotter in one of the mirrors, or hear over the noise of the engine and surrounding conditions, however. Performing backup operations under adverse conditions such as darkness, inclement weather such as heavy rain, fog, shadows, and conditions of high glare from the sun, can severely hamper the driver's ability to see and/or hear a signal to stop from a spotter. Moreover, as the spotter walks behind the backing vehicle to monitor the position of the rear of the vehicle, the spotter routinely moves in and out of the driver's field of view within the mirrors (out of and into the blind spot). Thus, some signals provided by the spotter may not be within the view of the driver. This inability to receive clear signals from the spotter can critically delay the driver's perception of an emergency signal to stop, raising the risk that the vehicle will backup into a position where it may injure the spotter or damage property.